SCAD Week 1

The post will hopefully be the first of many where I can document what exactly I'm learning here at SCAD.

In review of my first week here I have simply come up with one conclusion and that is:

LEARN TO DRAW!!!

One of my assignments in ANM 202 is to completely fill a sketchbook by the end of one quarter, which averages out to 10 pages a week. Sometimes it's almost beneficial to doodle and sketch in class NOW. Unfortunately, at times it feels like a burden and you have to force yourself to do it, but in the long run you will definitely come out on top. Richard Williams, the author of The Animators Survival Kit, says that computer animators don't need as good of drawing skills, but the best of them do. My friend and I went to the traveling bodies exhibit awhile back and we sketched there for 4 hours and I must say I learned a lot and gained so much from it. So make a day of it, grab a sketchbook and friend and go draw stuff!

Also, one of our very first assignments is to do a hand drawn ball bounce. I can not emphasize the importance in this enough. If you don't understand the timing and spacing then you need to go back to the fundamentals. Not understanding the principles of a ball bounce is like racing a car without wheels. You can pretend your going somewhere, but without the basic parts your not going to get past go.
Here are the two that I animated.



I found the light ball to be the most difficult, because I was constantly guessing how high it would go the next time, how far, and how many frames to draw within each consecutive arch. I feel that the heavy ball is much easier.



However, when doing it on the computer the same principles apply, but the work flow is a little different. I believe my friend Jacob Gardner best explains it in his blog here.

Anyways, that is what I have learned from week one here at SCAD. That's all for now.